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Sunday, March 3, 2013

"Wango Tango" by Ted Nugent

Song#: 0269
Date: 07/26/1980
Debut: 87
Peak: 86
Weeks: 4
Genre: Rock

Pop Bits: As a member of The Amboy Dukes, Nugent hit the chart in 1968 with "Journey to the Center of the Mind" (#16). By 1975 he fully went solo and started a successful run of hit albums. Although he never had a major hit on the chart (his best effort was "Cat Scratch Fever" in 1977, #30), the albums often had tracks that were popular on rock radio. One of his more easily identifiable songs was this single from his "Scream Dream" album. The song hung out for four weeks and didn't move much, but it's one completely associated with the Motor City Madman. It was his last solo song to hit the chart and his last solo album to go gold. He would find success as part of the supergroup Damn Yankees in 1989, and also spark a lot of controversy with his political views and his pro-gun/hunting stance.

ReduxReview: One listen and you can tell why a) this didn't make it on pop radio, and b) why it is a concert/radio favorite. It is catchy, crazy, frantic, and a good rock jam and I'm sure scared the crap out of pop radio programmers.

Side Note: I was a server in one of Michigan's best restaurants years ago and Nugent and his wife came in for lunch. None of the other servers wanted to wait on him - they were a bit scared of him. But I didn't care as I had worked with celebs before and so I took the table. He and his wife were very nice to me. And I'll never forget that he ordered a sushi-style tuna appetizer and when I asked how he liked it, he looked at me and said "you know...there ain't nothing like a good piece of dead fish." I chuckled and said "you are exactly right." I got a very nice tip...

ReduxRating: 6/10

Trivia: Nugent has a ranch near Jackson, Michigan (my hometown!). A longtime resident, he developed the ranch area now called Sunrize Acres. Although he no longer is a full-time resident there, he does host organized hunts and other events at the ranch.